The Omnivore's Dilemma

A Natural History of Four Meals

By: Michael Pollan

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Length: 15 hrs and 53 mins

Publisher's summary

The best-selling author of The Botany of Desire explores the ecology of eating to unveil why we consume what we consume in the 21st century.

"What should we have for dinner?" To one degree or another, this simple question assails any creature faced with a wide choice of things to eat. Anthropologists call it the omnivore's dilemma. Choosing from among the countless potential foods nature offers, humans have had to learn what is safe, and what isn't, which mushrooms should be avoided, for example, and which berries we can enjoy. Today, as America confronts what can only be described as a national eating disorder, the omnivore's dilemma has returned with an atavistic vengeance.

The cornucopia of the modern American supermarket and fast-food outlet has thrown us back on a bewildering landscape where we once again have to worry about which of those tasty-looking morsels might kill us. At the same time we're realizing that our food choices also have profound implications for the health of our environment. The Omnivore's Dilemma is best-selling author Michael Pollan's brilliant and eye-opening exploration of these little-known but vitally important dimensions of eating in America.

We are indeed what we eat, and what we eat remakes the world. A society of voracious and increasingly confused omnivores, we are just beginning to recognize the profound consequences of the simplest everyday food choices, both for ourselves and for the natural world. The Omnivore's Dilemma is a long-overdue book and one that will become known for bringing a completely fresh perspective to a question as ordinary and yet momentous as "What shall we have for dinner?"

©2006 Michael Pollan (P)2006 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

Gold Medal in Nonfiction for the California Book Award • Winner of the 2007 Bay Area Book Award for Nonfiction • Winner of the 2007 James Beard Book Award/Writing on Food Category • Finalist for the 2007 Orion Book Award • Finalist for the 2007 NBCC Award

"Thoughtful, engrossing . . . You're not likely to get a better explanation of exactly where your food comes from."—The New York Times Book Review

"An eater's manifesto . . . [Pollan's] cause is just, his thinking is clear, and his writing is compelling. Be careful of your dinner!"—The Washington Post

"Outstanding . . . a wide-ranging invitation to think through the moral ramifications of our eating habits."—The New Yorker

Great presentation of a moral dilemma

Pollan's examination of the cultural, moral and socioeconomic tradeoffs we make when eating food is a deep and exhaustive consideration of the consequences of seeming simple choices. By structuring the work around 4 meals, he presents four alternative relationships to nature and the world, and lays bare the personal consequences of each. I found that the detail was, at times unnecessarily fastidious, as when Pollan agonizes over the authenticity of hunting, but not killing, the wild boar in his hunter and gatherer meal, and then taking us through the process again, just so he can personally pull the trigger. I would have rather he had just lied, and took credit for the first kill.

The mix of science, economics and gastronomy was what I would like the Food Network to really be about. The personal perspective of the book sometimes got in the way, but gave it a visceral feel that kept my interest.

What did I learn from the book? That sorting out the food chains involved in what I eat daily is way too complicated to really address it in real life. I would have liked to see an epilogue that explained the way Pollan has worked it out. He hints at this at the end, but doesn't ever present a cogent agenda for how making responsible choices about food fits into the real world of budgets and schedules that we have developed since making the evolutionary choice to not spent most of our waking hours feeding ourselves.

I learned how mushrooms are gathered and the physiology of corn. I learned more than I would ever really want to about the beef industry, and the ecology of grasses. Overall, it was an enjoyable read that will stick with me longer than the meal of boar and mushrooms Pollan serves to his friends at the end of the book.

Wonderful listen!

I had picked this up having heard Pollan speak last year. I thought he was a good speaker but he is definitely a great writer. This book will probably be compared to Fast Food Nation frequently but I think this is a better book in every regard. It is beautifully written and in the manner of an investigative reporter as opposed to someone who is looking to confirm his views.

Pollan may take sides but only after describing the pros and cons of different types of farming, etc. Whereas Fast Food Nation leaves you feeling gross, this book leaves you more educated and allows you to decide where to go next.

Audio: The narrator was wonderful and made for a pleasant listen. There were a couple hiccups in the digital recording which were annoying but only happenned a couple times losing less than a sentence.

Makes You Think about What You Eat?

Would you listen to The Omnivore's Dilemma again? Why?

Probably not. Its pretty long and its not type of story you would need to listen to multiple times.

What did you like best about this story?

The descriptions of industrial organic make you really think about where your food comes from.

Was there a moment in the book that particular moved you?

Yes, the description of the McDonald's chicken nuggets and how they were barely "healthier" than the burger was eye-opening!

I ENJOYED EVERY MORSEL!

This is not fast food - it deserves to be relished and remembered not just as a gustatory adventure, but for the incredible detail and effort it took to research and arrange. And all of it for your enlightenment and entertainment! The writing is beautiful and narration all that can ever be hoped for. This is a gift worth giving, Even more, one worth getting!

Welcome Dose of Reality

This book will change the way you think about food.

Whether it's the impact of pesticides and other agribusiness practices, or the impact of the price of oil, this book will open your eyes. I was amazed at the sheer complexity and fragility of the food chain we've constructed for ourselves.

This book is masterfully written and narrated. Its depressingly frank look at modern reality is interspersed with humor to keep the mood honest, but relatively light.

A very satisfying book

Michael Pollan makes even the mundane sound enchanting, and Scott Brick perfectly brings the book to life.

The Omnivore's Venture

I really did appreciate this book, even as it was assigned to me for an English course, the audio performance was truly, a much needed relief of flipping through the pages of it. Scott Brick really brings out the emotions of Michael Pollan and his little exploration into the four basic food groups. It was quite refreshing. Only issues I may have with it could be his procuring of meat from a wild boar but I got the idea of what he was looking to accomplish. Thank you for reading my quick review and have a nice day.

A classic for our age

First and foremost, I’d never have thought a book about where our food comes from and how it’s brought to us would keep my attention, but it did! You’re not just what you eat, but what you eat, eats.
I have a new appreciation for sustainability and hope to change some of my omnivorous behaviors as a result of this work.
Michael Pollan’s works are wide ranging and always come back to how we care for this body and mind of ours. We’re lucky to have his content as a guide.

great read

thus book is a great read. very informative. Michael Pollan is s gifted man. bye

A must, absolute MUST read

This should be a must read for every student. For every parent. For every person who has a garden or goes to a farmers market. For every person who has an interest in government and government regulations. This is a must read for every person who is in the food industry.
It's a must read for anybody who actually eats food. Any food.
Eye opening information that will change the way you look at food.